“Mmmkay Mr. Evil Pants, correct me if I’m wrong… I just got sprung from being a bed in a brothel—which by the way was more fun in freakin’ theory than in actuality—and now I have to go to Kismet?” The Shelia asked, wrinkling her lovely nose.

The Fairy was truly stunning. The Shelia looked so much like her brother it was disturbing. However, her sense of style was thankfully far superior. It hadn’t been all that difficult to find her. I’d simply put the word out to pinpoint a talking bed in a brothel and the location had come back within twenty minutes.

Breaking the curse had been a bit more complicated, but I was a master and refused to lose. Being delicate was not one of my stronger suits, but it was necessary in this unusual case. The spell was intricately woven and one wrong move could have ended The Shelia’s immortal life.

However, I was good—very, very, very, good. In fact if I had an ego, I’d have to say I was the best. Oh wait… I did have a fabulously out-of-check ego and no humility whatsoever. I was the best.

The Shelia had chosen a brothel in Vegas. Luckily her destination had been in a house of ill repute I happened to own. No mind-wiping had been necessary since the cliental was primarily Immortals—Gnomes to be more specific.

“That’s the plan,” I told her. “I’d be happy to reinstate the curse if it doesn’t appeal.”

“Hell to the no,” she shouted, shaking her head with repulsion as pink and gold Fairy dust blew willy-nilly around the small brothel office. “If I have to see one more green Gnome member in my lifetime, it will be one time too many. The ugly bastards seem to have an obsession with the movie Fifty Shade of Grey. The term ‘laters babe’ has been branded into my brain. This is not a good thing—at all.”

I had no idea what the woman was babbling about, but I didn’t care. As long as she was game to get me to where I wanted to go, she could even recite my brother’s book and I wouldn’t care—much.

“One question though,” The Shelia said, pacing the small office. “Is there time for me to get laid before we head to our deaths? I haven’t had a big O in a couple hundred years.”

It was a highly unusual request and I wasn’t quite sure how to answer.

“You are one hot son of a bitch,” she said with a come hither smile. “Maybe we could bump fuzzies for a bit—no strings attached of course.”

In the olden days I would have taken her up on her request in a heartbeat, but not now. While I could still appreciate her feminine assets, her beauty and her shameless appetite, I had no desire to bed her—or anyone except my Siren.

“I’m taken,” I said. “You’ll have to go elsewhere for your amusement.”

The Shelia sighed dramatically and then giggled. “Actually, I’m taken as well, but the bastard doesn’t know it yet,” she said. “However, if someone has a stray vibrator laying around that will do the trick as well.”

“Can’t say I travel with vibrators,” I replied, enjoying the crude woman.

“Damn it, what good are you, old man?” she demanded with a charming smile. “I’m a horny Fairy who hasn’t done the horizontal mambo in a few centuries. You’re the damned Devil. I had no clue you were a one-woman man. Has the world changed that much since I’ve been cursed?”

“It’s quite recent,” I replied with a grin. “Surprised me most of all.”

“Well, that is one lucky woman to have nabbed your hot ass,” The Shelia replied. “So who’s taking us to Kismet?”

“You are,” I replied.

“Not following,” she said, staring at me in confusion.

My stomach tightened and I held my temper with effort. As much as I had enjoyed our inappropriate exchange I was in no mood to play games.

“You’ve been to Kismet?”

“Yes.”

“And you clearly survived,” I added.

“Yes.”

“So correct me if I’m wrong,” I said, repeating her earlier statement as my eyes went vivid red with anger. “You must know how to get to Kismet if you’ve been there.”

“You’re wrong,” The Shelia said, staring pointedly at me. “Who told you I knew how to get to Kismet?”

I paused and thought for a moment and realized no one had actually told me that The Shelia knew how to get there—just that she’d been there.

“My mistake,” I said tightly, sitting on my hands that were beginning to spark black glitter. If at first you don’t succeed, you try a new approach. If that doesn’t fucking work you resort to decapitation. “How did you get there? Who took you?”

She looked at me for a long moment. The Shelia was no one’s fool. The Fairy might be promiscuous and prone to violence, but she was not an idiot. She was highly aware that I was on the brink of destroying her. Not really fair, but I wasn’t known as an equitable kind of guy.

“It was thousands of years ago,” she said, keeping her eyes glued to mine. “I met a woman. She had been beaten by Trolls and was severely injured. I snuck her to my home in Zanthia and nursed her. However, she needed to go home to completely recover and wasn’t strong enough to make the journey alone.”

“The woman?” I asked, feeling strangely like I was having déjà vu. Like my meeting with The Shelia was truly fated.

“A Siren,” she confirmed what I already knew.

“Her name?” I pressed, quite sure it was my Elle. It could have been Sadie, but I knew in my gut it wasn’t.

The Shelia laughed. “Well, it took her a few days to give me her real name. This gal had a real penchant for lying through her teeth. Beautiful girl and tons of fun. She did steal a fair amount of my jewelry, but I don’t regret helping her at all. I was glad it was me who had discovered her. Sirens were killed on the spot back in those days.”

“Her name?” I repeated, getting antsy.

She squinted her eyes at me and slowly grinned. “It appears to me that you already know of whom I’m speaking, Devil. Why don’t you tell me her name?”

“Adrielle Rinoa,” I whispered, examining the Fairy in an entirely new light. If it hadn’t been for her, there would be no Elle and me.

“You got it, bad boy,” she said with a laugh as silver glitter sprayed all over the room. “And I’m guessing that is the very same one who took your fine ass off the market?”

Nodding, I realized even though The Shelia had no clue how to get back to Kismet, there was no way in Hell I would harm a hair on her horny head. I’d have to find another way. It was a long shot, but I had a scheme.

“I’ll transport you to Hell with me,” I told her. “I have one more idea of how to find Kismet. Hell is lovely this time of year. And more importantly, Demons are hornier than you are. You can have your pick.”

“So we’re still going to Kismet?” she asked, brows raised.

“We are. The ramifications if we don’t are devastating,” I replied shortly.

“For you? For Adrielle?” she pushed, wanting to know exactly who she was putting her life on the line for.

“Both,” I admitted. “However, the future of mankind is also in question. Fate has fucked up one too many times. Her end draws near.”

“Well, I’ll be damned,” The Shelia said, fanning herself with her hand. “All I can say is thank you for pulling me from my enchanted prison. It would have sucked ass to die as a sin bed for Gnomes. I’d far rather bite the big one saving the world. Gnomes smell like shit.”

Strangely, the talkative Fairy reminded me of Astrid. It made sense that they would have gotten along. They were both nuts.

“I’ll have your brother and Gemma come to Hell to greet you,” I said, standing up and checking the office to see if there was anything to pilfer. I would have been stealing from myself since I owned the establishment, but it was still fun.

“Gemma?” she questioned.

“His gal pal and someone you should meet,” I said cryptically. “She’s the one who insisted I release you from your curse.”

“And what did you demand in return?” she asked, knowing the Devil did nothing for free.

“I get you, Gemma and The Kev to come to Kismet with me.”

The Shelia nodded. “You’re an insane one.”

“Your point?”

“No point. Just an observation. You have vibrators in Hell?” The Shelia asked as she stood and made ready to depart.

“Darling woman,” I said with a laugh. “Where do you think they were invented? We have an entire section of Hell devoted to carnal pleasure. I’m quite certain you’ll be satisfied.”

“I like your style, Devil,” she said with a wide grin and a delightful laugh.

“Likewise, Fairy. Just don’t get into too much trouble. We’ll leave for Kismet tomorrow.”

“You think you can find it?”

“I do,” I said with far more confidence than I felt.

I would find it. There was no choice.

At all.